Who Needs It and Why?

Designers and makers of electronics know that with every passing year, products get smaller, software and hardware are more tightly integrated, the development cycle gets shorter, and ever faster turnaround times for prototypes are required. In response, there have been great strides in simplifying the difficulty of designing small PCBs. However, there have not been similar advances in the production of prototypes of those PCBs. Instead, designers end up soldering parts one-by-one by hand, gearing up full-scale production facilities, going to outside vendors, all of which can add up to substantial bottlenecks. That’s where REFLO comes in: it’s a compact furnace with high heat retention and a compact high performance heater, combined with a compact control device. It’s a reflow device that anyone can handle.

We believe REFLOs simplicity and accessibility will dramatically improve how quickly projects can be prototyped. We hope REFLO will help folk who are working on removing barriers between hardware and software, and thereby change the way PCBs are produced, much as 3D printing has changed product development. We believe REFLO will accelerate innovation.

Back View

REFLO’s compact enclosure makes it easy to control the temperature. In addition, by
controlling the heater and the fan simultaneously, an ideal
temperature curve can be acheived.

The controller is easily accessed via a mobile phone app.

The execution status is displayed in real time.

Temperature profile can selected from three beforehand, according to the solder paste to be used.

By using different types of solder paste, it is possible to assemble double-sided boards.

Since the system is fully programmable via the Arduino IDE, you can
re-program things like profiles, which allows for maximum flexibility and adaptability.

Since the heater controls only 300 W maximum by one SSR and has
low power, it can also operate in the general environment.
With a small, but robust chassis, REFLO can be brought and used almost anywhere.

Manufacturing & Fulfillment Plan

We have worked to minimize the risks. There are no specialized parts
in the design, and all the components needed are readily available.

We will be using Crowd Supply to fulfill backer orders. You can read about shipping policies in The Crowd Supply
Guide.

Risks & Challenges

For production of 100 or more, it may be necessary to upgrade
equipment to improve its ability to cut furnace enclosure.